إنّيindeed I الشّجاعُthe brave one وقدand indeed جزِعتُI became distraught كماas ترىyou see
إنّي الشّجاعُ وقد جزِعتُ كما ترى
منّيfrom me الغَداةَthis morning بمصرعat the death of ابنson of شجاعِShujaʿ
منّي الغَداةَ بمصرع ابن شجاعِ
I am indeed brave, yet I have given way to grief, as you see
I am the courageous one, yet I grieve as you see,
in me this morning, at the death of Ibn Shujaʿ.
Since morning, for the death of the son of Courage.
ساقتْdrove مصيبتُهُhis calamity إلىinto بلابِليmy turmoil
ساقتْ مصيبتُهُ إلى بلابِلي
سَوْقاًa driving وألقتنيand cast me إلىinto أوجاعِpains
سَوْقاً وألقتني إلى أوجاعِ
His loss drove me into anguish,
His tragedy has led me to confusion,
driving me on, and cast me into agonies.
And thrown me into torment.
فالماءُso the water منfrom عينَيَّmy two eyes يقرحmakes sore ناظريmy eye
فالماءُ من عينَيَّ يقرح ناظري
طوعَin obedience to النّوىseparation والنّارُand fire فيin أضلاعيmy ribs
طوعَ النّوى والنّارُ في أضلاعي
So the water from my eyes makes my eyes sore,
My tears burn my eyes,
at separation's bidding, while fire is in my ribs.
My sorrow consumes my soul like fire in my ribs.
ووددتُand I wished لوif تُغنِيcould avail الوِدادَةُaffection فيagainst الرّدىdeath
ووددتُ لو تُغنِي الوِدادَةُ في الرّدى
أنّthat التكذّبَfalsehood ماwhat يقولُsays النّاعيthe death-announcer
أنّ التكذّبَ ما يقولُ النّاعي
And I wished—if love could avail against death—
I wish this love could console me in my misery -
that what the death-announcer says were a lie.
That the denier not say what he says.
ومنand among العجائبthe wonders أنّنيthat I ضنّاًout of jealous care بهfor him
ومن العجائب أنّني ضنّاً به
رَمّلتُهُI covered him with sand ورميتُهُand I cast him فيin قاعِlevel ground
رَمّلتُهُ ورميتُهُ في قاعِ
And among the wonders is that, out of jealous care for him,
And of wonders, being stingy with him,
I covered him with sand and cast him onto level ground.
I buried him and threw him in a pit.
ويسوءنيand it grieves me أنّيthat I أراهُI see him فيin الثّرىthe earth
ويسوءني أنّي أراهُ في الثّرى
يَبْلىdecays وأمريand my command فيهconcerning him غيرُnot مُطاعِobeyed
يَبْلى وأمري فيه غيرُ مُطاعِ
And it grieves me that I see him in the earth,
It pains me to see him in the dust,
decaying, while my command concerning him goes unheeded.
Decaying while my affairs with him were disobeyed.
بِيَفاعِon high ground مشرفةٍlofty وهلand does يُغنِيbenefit الفتىthe young man
بِيَفاعِ مشرفةٍ وهل يُغنِي الفتى
سُلِبَwas robbed of الحياةَlife مَقِيلُهُhis resting place بِيَفاعِon high ground
سُلِبَ الحياةَ مَقِيلُهُ بِيَفاعِ
On a lofty height—yet does it help a young man,
In a high-ground grave - but does it benefit the youth
robbed of life, to have his resting place on a height?
If life was taken from him in the high-ground?
فيin مُمرِعٍa lush place خَضْلٍmoist وماand how أغنىfree of need اِمرءاًa man
في مُمرِعٍ خَضْلٍ وما أغنى اِمرءاً
فيin اللَّحْدِthe grave عنof خِصْبٍfertility وعنand of إمراعِlush growth
في اللَّحْدِ عن خِصْبٍ وعن إمراعِ
In a lush, moist place—and how little need a man has
In fertile soft soil - but it does not benefit a man
in the grave for fertility and lush growth!
To be in a grave away from fertility and pasture.
أَعزِزْhow grievous! عليَّto me بِأَنْat the fact that توفّاكَclaimed you الرّدىdeath
أَعزِزْ عليَّ بِأَنْ توفّاكَ الرّدى
وأصمَّand deafened سمعكyour hearing عنto مقالِthe words of النّاعيthe death-announcer
وأصمَّ سمعك عن مقالِ النّاعي
How grievous to me that death has claimed you,
Be hard on me for your death taking you,
and made you deaf to the death-announcer's words!
And deafen your hearing from the talk of the mourner.
وَأَردتُand I wanted حِفظَكto preserve you فيin الضّرِيحthe tomb وإنّماbut only
وَأَردتُ حِفظَك في الضّرِيح وإنّما
صيّرتُI placed شِلْوَكَyour remains فيin يَدَيْthe two hands of مِضْيَاعِa squanderer
صيّرتُ شِلْوَكَ في يَدَيْ مِضْيَاعِ
And I wanted to preserve you in the tomb, but I only
I wanted to protect you in the tomb, but instead
placed your remains in the hands of a squanderer:
I made you prey in the hands of destroyers,
خَرْقاءُa heedless one تَأكلdevours لاnot لجوعٍfrom hunger كلَّeveryone مَنwhom
خَرْقاءُ تَأكل لا لجوعٍ كلَّ مَن
يُهديoffers إليهاto her الموتُdeath أكلَthe eating of جِياعِthe hungry
يُهدي إليها الموتُ أكلَ جِياعِ
a heedless one, devouring—not from hunger—everyone
A voracious hyena who eats, not out of hunger,
whom death offers her, as the hungry devour.
Everyone given to her to eat by death, eaters of carrion.
مَنْwho لِيfor me ترىdo you think مِنfrom بعدafter فقدِكlosing you صاحبٌa companion
مَنْ لِي ترى مِن بعد فقدِك صاحبٌ
أُلقِيI cast إليهto him متىwhenever أردتُI wish بَعاعيmy burden
أُلقِي إليه متى أردتُ بَعاعي
Who, do you think, will be my companion after losing you,
Who do I have after losing you, a friend
on whom I can lay my burden whenever I wish?
To whom I can convey my concerns when I want?
ومَنand who المُطيلُthe one prolonging تمتُّعِيmy enjoyment بغرائبٍwith wonders
ومَن المُطيلُ تمتُّعِي بغرائبٍ
مِنْfrom بَثِّهِhis talk ومَنand who المقصِّرُthe one shortening باعِيmy reach
مِنْ بَثِّهِ ومَن المقصِّرُ باعِي
And who will prolong my pleasure with wonders
And who will elongate my enjoyment of wonders
from his talk, and who will shorten my reach?
By conversing, and who will shorten my farness?
وإذاand when دناdraws near الأجلthe end المقدَّرُordained للفتىfor the young man
وإذا دنا الأجل المقدَّرُ للفتى
لمdid not أُنْجِهِI save him منهfrom it وضاعand was wasted دِفاعيmy defense
لم أُنْجِهِ منه وضاع دِفاعي
And when the end ordained for a young man draws near,
And when the predetermined death comes to the youth,
I cannot save him from it, and my defense is wasted.
I cannot save him - my defense is lost.
وقواطعيand my cutting blades وهيand they are الحِدادthe sharp ones كَلِيلَةٌblunt
وقواطعي وهي الحِداد كَلِيلَةٌ
عنهُagainst it وَنَبْعيand my bow-wood فيهagainst it مثلُlike يَراعيmy reed
عنهُ وَنَبْعي فيه مثلُ يَراعي
And my cutting blades, though sharp, are blunt
My swords - grief is fettered from him
against it; and against it my bow-wood is like my reed.
And my spring for him is like an observed pasture.
وأناand I الطّويلُthe long-reaching one يداًin hand فإنْyet if مدّstretches الرّدىdeath
وأنا الطّويلُ يداً فإنْ مدّ الرّدى
نحويtoward me يداًa hand منهfrom it تَقَاصَرَgrew short باعيmy reach
نحوي يداً منه تَقَاصَرَ باعي
And my hand reaches far; yet if death stretches
I am long of arm - so if death extends
a hand of its own toward me, my reach grows short.
A hand toward me, my arm falls short.
كمhow often ذاthis تغالِطُناdeceives us الحياةُlife وننثنِىand we turn away
كم ذا تغالِطُنا الحياةُ وننثنِى
منهاfrom it بخدعةِby the trick of مائِنٍa liar خَدّاعِdeceitful
منها بخدعةِ مائِنٍ خَدّاعِ
How often life deceives us, and we turn away
How life deceives us and we bend
from it, fooled by the ruse of a lying trickster!
By the guile of crafty deceivers!
أَينَwhere الّذينthose who عَلَوْاrose علىupon هامِthe crowns of العُلاgreatness
أَينَ الّذين عَلَوْا على هامِ العُلا
وتبوّءُواand settled بالمجدthrough glory خيرَthe finest رباعِabodes
وتبوّءُوا بالمجد خيرَ رباعِ
Where are those who rose to the summits of greatness,
Where are those who ascended the peaks of loftiness
and through glory occupied the finest abodes,
And settled in the best plains of glory?
الباذلينthe generous givers لماof what حَوَتْهُcontained it خِيامُهمْtheir tents
الباذلين لما حَوَتْهُ خِيامُهمْ
والواهبينand the bestowers لماof what يسوقdrives الرّاعيthe herdsman
والواهبين لما يسوق الرّاعي
those who freely gave what their tents contained,
Those who spent what their tents contained
and bestowed what the herdsman drives?
And gave away what the shepherd drives.
فَسَقَتْso may they water ترابَكyour dust ياO حُسينُHusayn بواكِرٌearly rainclouds
فَسَقَتْ ترابَك يا حُسينُ بواكِرٌ
ترميpelting الدّيارَthe dwellings بعارِضٍwith a raincloud همّاعِpouring copiously
ترمي الدّيارَ بعارِضٍ همّاعِ
So may early rainclouds water your dust, O Husayn,
It rained your dust, O Hussein, with first rains
pelting the dwellings with a copiously pouring cloud.
Pelting the abodes with a worrying downpour.
وكأنّand as though لَمْعَthe gleam of بروقِهِits lightning هِنْدِيّةٌan Indian sword
وكأنّ لَمْعَ بروقِهِ هِنْدِيّةٌ
مسلولةٌunsheathed جُنْحَunder the cover of الدُّجىnight's darkness لقِراعِfor combat
مسلولةٌ جُنْحَ الدُّجى لقِراعِ
And the gleam of its lightning seems an Indian sword,
As if the flashing of its lightning were Indian
unsheathed under night's dark cover for combat.
Swords unsheathed to strike the darkness.
وكأنّand as though زَمْجَرَةَthe growling of الرُّعودِthunderclaps خلالَهُwithin it
وكأنّ زَمْجَرَةَ الرُّعودِ خلالَهُ
دوحٌgreat trees تقصّفَcracked apart أوor زئيرُthe roar of سِباعِbeasts of prey
دوحٌ تقصّفَ أو زئيرُ سِباعِ
And the growling of thunder within it seems
As if the rumbling of its thunder amidst it
like great trees cracking apart, or the roar of beasts of prey.
Were a cauldron boiling or the roar of beasts.
ودفاعُand the warding off by ربّكyour Lord عنكfrom you شرَّthe harm of عقابهِHis punishment
ودفاعُ ربّك عنك شرَّ عقابهِ
عنfor سيّئٍa wrong خيرٌbetter منthan الدّفَّاعِthe staunch defender
عن سيّئٍ خيرٌ من الدّفَّاعِ
And your Lord's shielding you from the harm of His punishment
Your Lord's defense of you was better than His
for wrongdoing is better than the staunchest defender.
Punishment of an evildoer, better than defense.
Sol 6.1